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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cell — in biology
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. branch — a division
  17. current — of water
  18. hand — help
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. current — electric
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — a phone
  23. current — happening now
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com